Reversible propeller-wheel.



H. J. PERKINS. REVERSIBLE PROPELLER WHEEL. I

APPLIOATIOI ETFILED OCT. 8,1906.

Patented Apr. 20, 1909.

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UNITED s'ra'ras Parana? caries.

HARRY .I. PERKINS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-THIRD TO CHARLES I).

PERKINS AND ONE-THIRD TO FRED L. PERKINS, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

REVERSIBLE PROPELLE R-WHEEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. October 8, 1906.

Patented April 20, 1909. Serial No. 337,891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY J. PERKrNs, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Propeller-YFheels and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in reversible propeller wheels and its object is to provide improved means for detaching the blades, and to provide the device with various new and useful features hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

My invention consists essentially of the combination and arrangement of parts, and of features hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1. is a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, adjusted for removal of the blades Fig. 2. is a transverse vertical section of the same adjusted in mid-position and, Fig. 3. is a side elevation of the same adjusted for forward propulsion.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures.

1 represents the driving shaft, actuated by any suitable motor, and having no longitu dinal movement; 2 represents a hub fixed on the rear end of the said shaft by means of a cylndrical boss 3 at the forward end of the hu 4 are longitudinal grooves in the hub parallel with the axis thereof and intermediate the blades.

5 are the blades of the wheel mounted in the hub by means of screw threaded shanks 24 inserted in radial screw threaded openings in the hub, said blades being rotative on radial axes and provided with arms 6 having open recesses in their outer ends to receive pins 12 fixed in slides 11 slidable in the grooves 4, said slides being disconnected at their rear end to permit unlimited forward movement of the same in the grooves. The threaded shanks thus firmly couple the blades to the hub, but at the same time permitting the slight amount of oscillatory movement necessary to change the pitch of the blades or to reverse the same. The movement necessary to change the pitch" of the blades is generally very slight, while the movement necessary to reverse the blades completely is also relatively slight, consequently the slight oscillatory movement necessary in devices of this character would not be suficient to loosen the blades or cause them to operate irregularly. These slides are connected to a boss 10 attached to the rear end of a sleeve 7 slidable on the shaft 1 and rotative therewith.

8 is a gland on the inner end of the sleeve to stop water from coming through between the sleeve and shaft.

9 is the stern post gland in which the sleeve and shaft are rotative.

13 are collars on the sleeve, between which collars is a non-rotative collar 14 provided with oppositely projecting lugs 15 engaging slots 17 in the forked lever 16 to longitudinally adjust the sleeve on the shaft and adjust the blades about their axes.

18 is a sector to hold the lever and pro vided with notches 19, 20, and 21 to receive the latch 22 on the lever.

The forward movement of the lever, sleeve and slides is limited by a removable stop in the sector consisting of a pin 23. By removing this pin the lever can be carried forward far enough to disengage the pins 12 from the recesses in the arms 6 as illustrated in Fig. 1. This releases the blades, which can then be unscrewed from the hub and detached or replaced, in a very convenient manner. This excess forward motion is made possible by the omission of the usual connecting means between the slides 11 at the rear of the hub, which omission further improves the device in respect to regularity of outline, and free rotation of the same in the water with less resistance than if the slides were connected.

What I claim is:

In a propeller wheel, a shaft, a hub carried by said shaft and provided with spaced longitudinal guide-ways and also having radially disposed sockets between the guide-ways, said sockets being smaller in diameter at their inner ends than at their outer ends with their inner ends screw threaded, propeller blades having reduced beatings engaging said sockets, the extremities only oi said bearings being sei'eW threaded, tlie'blades also having lateral recesses, a sleeve on said shaft and provided with longitudinally extending arms slidable in said guide-Ways, pins projecting from said arms and operative E in said recesses, and means for adjusting said l sleeve longitudinally oi said shaft.

in testimony whereof I my signature in presence of two Witnesses. HARRY J. PERKINS.

it.1iesses LUTHER V. MOULTON,

GEORGIANA OHAGE. 

